Knight Of Mine
by surrealwake
Summary: First fanfic. Follow Kallen's adventure as her life abruptly changes from an orphan living on the streets to living with the vi Britannias as a knight while she searches for her family and etc. Possible M content? OOC-ish. Read to find out! Picture is thanks to Artsy-chan on dA. Discontinued..
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! This is my first fanfiction. It's set in an alternate universe and some characters may be out of character. Anyway, enjoy as I practice to become a better writer.**

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Chapter 1

In the garden of the Aries Villa, a young boy could be spotted chasing a little girl. His messy charcoal hair was roughly tossed from side to side as he ran after his younger sister. On the side lines, sat his beautiful mother, Marianne. She kept a watchful eye on her younglings, as she sat there knitting handkerchiefs for them.

"Hurry, brother Lelouch! Catch me!" Nunnally called out to him, laughing all the while.

He stopped and hunched over, huffing.

"Haha! Come on, Lelouch," her childish voice called out again, "Come and catch me!"

"I-I'll catch you!" he said in breaths before running after her again.

Marianne stopped her knitting and watched at their playful figures. She chuckled at her children.

"Okay, kids! It's time to come back. We're going to head to town in a bit. Go on in and get ready to go."

The two children stopped their playing and obediently did as they were told, running back to the house.

"Welcome back, Lelouch and Nunnally-sama," a young Sayako, who looked like she was in her teens, greeted.

"Hello, Sayako-san," Nunnally replied back.

Lelouch simply nodded his head and smiled.

"Where is Marianne-sama?" Sayako asked.

"She'll be here in a moment," Lelouch replied walking after Nunnally. "Oh! We'll need to get ready to go to town, Sayako-san."

"Hai, Lelouch-sama."

By now, Lelouch was used to Sayako throwing out Japanese words here and there. In fact he was learning the Japanese language with Nunnally and with the help of Sayako.

Marianne soon followed.

"Welcome back, Marianne-sama," Sayako greeted again.

"Hello, Sayako-chan," Marianne greeted back. "You don't have to be so formal, Sayako-chan. Smile a little," Marianne advised the younger lady.

"H-hai…" she mumbled back, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Did you prepare for us to head out to town yet, Sayako-chan?"

"I will get to it, Marianne-sama," she said and excused herself.

"Thank you, Sayako-chan." She smiled at the young lady once again.

The town was quite a lively place, but out in the alley, it was dark and cold. Trash littered the way and stray animals lurked in the area. They would sniff the trash, seeking for any scrap of food available to feed their empty stomach.

Bags of trash ruffled and a young fiery red-haired girl's head popped out. She looked to the left and then to the right, her azure eyes were searching the dark trashed alley for food.

"Hold on, Kage!" she desperately voiced out. "Just wait for me."

Tears began to well up in her eyes, as she rummaged through the bags of garbage. Kage was her best friend, and pet, but his life was beginning to slip away from his physical body, and it scared her. She didn't want to be left alone in this cold world that she knew. She was afraid to be alone again. Orphaned from birth, she lived in an orphanage until one day she got so fed up waiting for her parents to find her that she ran off in search of them. One thought always crossed her mind: "Why was I abandoned?"

A breeze blew, and it almost sounded like Kage's voice calling for her saying, "Kallen, please come back. I can't hold on anymore."

The tears finally dropped from her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She couldn't push back the nagging feeling in her gut, telling her that Kage was close to death. Dropping her original conquest, she darted her way out of the alley and into the streets. She dashed as fast as her legs could carry her to where she knew Kage would be waiting for her.

Skidding to a stop, Kallen rushed over to Kage. He whimpered as his eyes could barely open.

"Kage!" Kallen's voice cracked, "I-I'm back." She ran over to his side.

Kage cried back sorrowfully, unable to say or do anything else.

Just like Kallen's fallen tears, Kage's eyes closed, his body ceased to move, and his life drained away.

Her voice cried out, wailing for the lost of a loved one.

Lelouch walked solemnly alongside his mother and Nunnally, with Sayako tailing behind. She was like a maid and a body guard, which was impressive, because her frame was like that of a fragile elegant woman.

Their mother stopped in front of a store, the entrance caved in. Its front door was embellished in antique carving and velvet curtains adorned the glass window from the inside, giving off a mysterious air. The sign hung above the window to the left of the door, reading "C.C.'s Shop".

"What are we doing here, Mommy?" Nunnally inquired.

"I have business with someone in here. You two hang out with Sayako-chan okay?"

Nunnally nodded, while Lelouch's eyes took in the details of the shop. "What kind of shop is this?" he thought to himself.

"Now hurry along with Sayako," Marianne ordered. "Take care of them well until I come back okay, Sayako-chan?"

Sayako nodded and urged the two children to follow her.

The trio strolled along the side walk, looking at the shops' content through the windows. Nunnally awed and mused at all the things inside the shop. They hardly ever had the opportunity to come out due to the danger that opposed them, for they were of royal blood, even though they lived far from the royal home.

Suddenly, Lelouch's ears picked up on something weird amongst the crowds' chattering and shuffling. It was a mourning cry, full of sorrow and grief.

"Sayako-san," he suddenly called out, halting the older one.

"Yes, Lelouch-sama?"

Nunnally snapped from her daze and looked towards her brother, "What is it, brother Lelouch?"

He stood there quietly, listening again for the wail. Then he heard it again, and certain of it, he decided to point them to it, "I think I heard something odd."

Sayako tried to pick up on it, standing there quietly and concentrating. Nunnally was trying to do the same thing too. "I don't hear anything," Sayako says after a moment of concentrating.

"Let's go see. I'll lead us," Lelouch announced, eager to find the source of the wailing.

Kallen couldn't stop her tears from flowing and her voice from crying. Hugging Kage's body for the last time, she took her ragged blanket and covered his black and white furred body. It was hard to be leaving him behind without a proper grave, but it was difficult to find a place for him. Closing her eyes, she slowly got to her feet, willing herself to stop crying.

She took a deep breath, and slowly opened her eyes, hoping that she would find a better place awaiting her. Her vision was blurry at first from the tears that hadn't been shed, but when it cleared, she gasped.

In front of her view stood three figures, two charcoal-haired and one dirty blonde-haired, their eyes were peering curiously at her. They didn't look dangerous, but Kallen's defense skills kicked in and she quickly went into defense stance.

"What are you guys doing here?" she growled.

Sayako reflexively moved in front of the two children, "Stay back, Lelouch-sama."

"So you were the wailing voice I heard," Lelouch mumbled back.

"What was that?" Kallen questioned with a scowling expression on her young face.

"Nothing…" he trailed off.

"What are you doing here?" Sayako questioned Kallen, her expression borderline of concern and alert.

"This is my place. Stay away," the fiery girl warned.

"This is your place? This is no place for a young lady like you to stay," the maid replied.

The red-head stood there silent.

Nunnally viewed the whole situation taking place clueless, but she could feel the tension. Breaking out into a sudden smile, Nunnally popped out beside Sayako, "Hello, I'm Nunnally vi-," she stopped herself, "Lamperouge. Who are you?"

The two older figures sighed in relief. Kallen was taken aback, but recovered shortly.

"K-Kallen…" she mumbled back, she could feel her defense starting to relax.

Seeing this Sayako let her guard down a couple of notches too. As for Lelouch, the genius that he was, immediately drew up a conclusion as his eyes scanned the place.

"I take it you have no home, Kallen?" Lelouch interjected.

Kallen glowered at his direct statement, silent.

"What should we do, Sayako-san?" Nunnally pulled at Sayako's sleeve.

She looked down at the little girl and smiled, "Nunnally-sama, I don't really know what to do."

The trio suddenly got into a little circle and began chatting within themselves, which shocked Kallen because they had their backs to her, and she had posed herself as a threat to them, which just violated the rule of "never turn your backs on your enemy".

"What do you mean nothing can be done?" Kallen could hear Nunnally wail.

"Shush, shush, Nunnally-sama. I'm not saying that absolutely nothing can be done, it's just we can't-"

"We can. We should take her in," Lelouch interrupted Sayako before she could finish.

"But Lelouch-sama, what will Marianne-sama say to this?"

"I know! Mommy will agree," Nunnally cheerfully answered.

It was difficult to get Kallen to come along with the trio, but Sayako and her strength finally got the fierce girl to succumb. Lugging the younger girl over her shoulders, the trio headed back to C.C.'s Shop.

Just as they reached the door, Marianne exited the building.

"Oh, you three are back," she chuckled, "How was it like to walk around town?"

"It was fun!" Nunnally chirped running over to her mother and hugging her.

"I'm glad you had fun, Nunnally. What about you, Lelouch?"

Lelouch smiled, "Interesting…" he trailed off, "But what interested me the most was this girl," he finished pointing to the luggage over Sayako's shoulders.

Marianne gasped, "My! Sayako-san. Who is that?"

"It's an orphaned girl."

"Orphaned?"

"Hai, Marianne-sama. When we found her, she had been crying."

"Mommy! Can we take her in?" Nunnally pleaded.

"She isn't a pet," Lelouch injected.

"That's true, Lelouch. Nunnally, we can give her a home and our hospitality, but I can't say that she'll stay," Marianne explained to Nunnally.

"It's okay, Mommy. Nunnally understands." She really did understand that much.

Marianne nodded to Sayako and the group of four started off to the carriage that had brought them to town.

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**A/N: There you have it. My first fanfiction. There will be more chapters, I hope!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all those who reviewed and followed my story! It makes me very happy. Sorry for the delay though. I just finally finished finals! W00t. I can breathe easy. Now! It's time to focus on this story and share with you guys the story that runs through my head for Kallen and Lelouch. Forgot to do this last time! xD Ah! I just noticed that I have been calling Sayoko the wrong name. Forgive me! I will fix it in this chapter.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. The characters belong to their respectful owners! The storyline is mine though. :P_

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Chapter 2

Rays of sunlight poured through the crack of black curtains that covered the window. It didn't light the room completely, and was the only source of light in the room. Besides the crack of light, everything in the room was dim and only their outlines could be seen. The room was spacious and hardly had any furniture-there was only a queen sized bed covered in white silk, a large oak colored desk with a matching antique chair, and a lamp that stood on the desk powerful enough to light up a small working space for one to work in.

Kallen stirred under the warm blanket that complimented the sheets, unmindful of her current location, in a state of sleep and wake. Her slumber had been one of peace and quiet; something that Kallen had not felt for a long while now, ever since she left the shelter of her orphanage home. Continuing her sleep, she refused to open her eyes, afraid that the comfort that lay under her back would disappear and return to the cold hard cement in the dingy alley that she was used to. What scared her most was that when she opened her eyes, all that she would find was herself…_alone_ without Kage.

Oh Kage.

Just the thought of Kage, her beloved friend, still made the tears well up behind her closed eyes. She fought hard to hold back the tears, as her throat tightened, "I need to be stronger…" she thought to herself. Then her mind idly began to run itself, playing all that happened the day before.

She gasped, recalling that three strangers had run into her, in her most vulnerable moment. That wasn't all. The older female with them had fought with Kallen and bested her, knocking her out. Where was she now? Her blood began to course faster through her veins, her heart softly pounding hard in her ears.

Opening her azure eyes slowly, her mind began to make shape of where she was, and what situation she was in. As if on cue, the door to the room-opposite of the bed, opened and even more light leaked into the room. Snapping her eyes close, but enough to peak through, Kallen could see a figurine standing by the doorway.

"Is she awake yet, Sayoko-chan?" Marianne's motherly voice called out, while making her way behind Sayoko.

"Sorry Marianne-sama. It seems Kallen-sama isn't awake yet," the maid replied with disappointment.

"We'll drop by again later then. Don't worry Sayoko-chan," Marianne assured the younger female.

The two figures moved away and gently closed the door. Their footsteps got lighter and lighter, the farther they got from the room. Kallen was listening in close on them, waiting to hear their footsteps completely gone.

What was she going to do? Awake and confront them…or she could always _run away_.

Sitting up, her long ruby hair draped over her shoulders. She sat there contemplating her options. "Should I go find them? Should I run away?" she whispered to herself aloud. "What am I to do?" Sighing, she decided to choose the latter. Run away. Besides, she found it easier this way.

Kallen made a swift movement and threw the covers off her body. She swung her legs off the bed, the rest of her body following her lower half. Striding over to the window, she pushed opened the curtains, full light illuminating the room now. The sun was high in the sky, indicating the time to be around noon or later. Its brightness blinded her momentarily, before she was able to see the full view in front of her.

It was beautiful and breathe taking. From there she could tell that the room where she slept was on the second level, and second level was pretty high up from the ground. Farther off from her, right in the middle, was a marble fountain of a woman holding a vase that had water spewing from the opening. Surrounding the fountain were bushes that hadn't bloomed their buds, but were green. There was also a gazebo, not that she knew what it was called. She was pretty sure every corner of this place was filled with nature. As beautiful as the sight was, Kallen didn't have time to dwell in its beauty.

With all her might, she pushed the windows opened, and found that it didn't require as much energy. Peeking over the windowsill, Kallen could see that it would be a challenge to get out from here, although she wouldn't let it faze her.

Glancing at the bed and the lower level, her mind ran wildly calculating how to escape the room.

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"Are you ready, Lelouch?" Nunnally impatiently called through his door.

"Just give me a moment," he said straightening out his clothes, before opening his door to let his sister in.

"Took you long enough," Nunnally complained.

"Sorry. Let's hurry to the garden, shall we?" he smiled warmly at his sister.

"Okay!" Nunnally jumped and hooked arms with him, practically dragging him out of his room.

The two children made their way to the villa's garden, Nunnally getting more and more excited as they neared. She loved playing with Lelouch and he knew that. He guessed it was because of his weak physical prowess that made her like to play games with him so much.

"Lelouch! What should we play today?"

The young male stood there with his sister by the fountain, thinking about what games they could play for the day to ease their boredom away.

"Hm…how about we lie down and stare at the clouds for a bit?" he suggested.

"Awww! That's so boring, brother!" the younger sibling whined.

"Well, you choose then."

"Let's play hide and go seek!"

"Okay," Lelouch agreed. If it made his sister happy, he'd play that game, even though he wasn't up for it. "Go hide and I'll find you."

Nunnally nodded, "No cheating, Lelouch!" The little girl ran off, her frilly pink skirt following her as her dirty blonde twin ponytail bounced with each step she ran.

Lelouch turned his back, and now his view was facing the back side of the mansion. His amethyst eyes glided the mansion's features idly, when suddenly something caught his eyes. There was an opened window, and recalling who was in there, he registered the room with Kallen.

"Nunnally?" he called out, his eyes not leaving the opened window. "Nunnally, we don't have time to play hide and go seek. I think our guest has left…" he trailed off.

"What did you say?" Nunnally asked, her head popping up from behind bushes. "Our guest?" she pondered, "You mean Kallen left?" Nunnally came out of the bushes and ran to her brother's side.

"I think she might have…" Lelouch somehow felt disappointed at the departure of Kallen.

"That's not true. Let's go check!" Nunnally's childish voice cried, while dragging her brother again.

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Kallen busily dragged the blanket and covers off the bed. It was a little difficult for her, since she had little energy and hadn't eaten anything for a while now. By the time she had the covers sprawled on the ground, Kallen was panting and sweating. Walking over to the window again, she leaned on the windowsill taking in the little breeze that the oncoming spring offered. Her eyes were closed as she felt the light coolness touch her sweating body.

Once again, she was caught. Below her window were the same charcoal-haired boy and dirty blonde haired girl. Their amethyst eyes were peering at her figure.

"Kallen! What are you doing up there?" Nunnally called out cheerfully, relieved to see that the ruby haired hadn't left yet.

Kallen blushed at the sight of the two. She felt so ill-lucked around them. "U-uh…" she stuttered out, "N-nothing…?"

Lelouch smirked, his demeanor changing, "Planning to run away, Kallen?"

The ruby-haired girl's cheeks began to tint a darker shade, as she felt a sense of anger stir inside her; something no one had been able to touch. "So what if I am? What does it matter to you?" she spat out, just to retort to him.

"Having any luck with it?" he asked with a hint of wit in his voice.

So far Kallen really didn't like this guy much. He was so cocky and confident. She snorted and raised her voice from the window, "I'm just getting started!"

Nunnally stood there observing their interaction with each other, a huge smile smitten on her lips as her liking for the fierce ruby-haired only deepened. The little girl knew that this ruby-haired would be able to match with her brother's wits. If not matched, she would be compatible with his wits.

"Kallen-sama?" Sayoko called from the other side.

Her head immediately snapped to the door. At the sight of that, Lelouch knew that someone was up there with Kallen now, which only made him more confident in her permanent settlement. He didn't know why, but he really wanted her to stay. Maybe it was because he thought it would be amusing to see an outsider live a royal life, or something close to it.

"I'm coming in, Kallen-sama," the maid announced and turned the knob. Kallen swallowed hard and cursed Lelouch mentally.

"Hurry, Lelouch! Let's go greet Kallen."

The young maid opened the door and saw the mess of the room, "Were you attacked?" she asked, interpreting everything all wrong.

"N-no," Kallen replied.

"Oh goodness! That would have been horrible, Kallen-sama," she breathed.

Kallen felt a sense of awkwardness wash over her. She wasn't really sure how to handle the situation or what to make of it.

"Kallen-sama, I'll bring you something to eat. You must be very hungry by now," Sayoko dutifully said.

The younger female had wanted to decline, due to the oddity of things, but her stomach betrayed her and growled loudly just as the other children made it to the door, panting.

"Hello, Kallen!" Nunnally waved from the door.

Sayoko nearly cheered, "Good! You two can watch her while I go prepare something for Kallen-sama," she said, unlike herself, before walking out of the room to make a feast for the young lady.

The two obliged.

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Within the time that Sayoko was preparing food for Kallen, Lelouch and Nunnally were able to force Kallen to loosen up. First, they had Kallen go shower and wash off all the dirt that lingered on her body. Then they had her change into Lelouch's clothing since Nunnally's were a tad bit too small for her and Sayoko's would have been a little bit too big. She was now wearing Lelouch's white collar shirt and slacks. Nunnally, being the friendly person she was, was able to coax Kallen into letting her braid Kallen's waist long ruby hair into two low side ponytails. All this did make Kallen feel a little better about where she was. These people were welcoming, and wanted her.

"Kallen-sama," Sayoko chirped walking into the room, "My feast is ready for you!"

Kallen silently looked up from the desk and swallowed. It smelled so good, her stomach growled again. Sayoko gracefully stride over to the three children and placed the trays of food onto the desk. She removed the lids and revealed the contents to Kallen. "Please enjoy yourself! Marianne-sama will come and see you after this."

Kallen shyly consumed the food, but soon came to devour the contents down. It left the other three amused to witness such an appetite from a human being.

After finishing Sayoko's feast, Kallen thanked her from the bottom of her heart, trying to convey her gratitude. This was so new to her. Being wanted, being welcomed, and seeing friendly faces as opposed to those of pity.

Marianne knocked on the door's frame catching everyone's attention.

"Hello Mommy!" Nunnally said before running to hug her mother.

"Hello dear. I see our guest is awake," she said hugging Nunnally.

"Hai Marianne-sama. I've already fed her," Sayoko sounded happy about it.

"Thank you, Sayoko-chan. Can you take Lelouch and Nunnally out?" Marianne got right to the point.

Lelouch made no objection, but Nunnally was more reluctant to go while Sayoko herded the two out. The maid closed the door behind her, leaving Kallen and Marianne alone inside the room.

"Hello Kallen. I'm Marianne vi Britannia," she introduced herself, "Mother to Lelouch and Nunnally."

Kallen was slow to register that "Lamperouge" wasn't their real last name. "E-eh? Lamperouge isn't your real last name?" she exclaimed after she processed it.

"Yes, that was just a pseudo-or fake last name," she smiled.

Kallen nodded her head, "Marianne vi Britannia?" she tilted her head, "Then that means…you guys are royal! I think…" Kallen was unsure. News wasn't really something she kept up on, fighting for survival was however.

"Yes, we are of royal blood," Marianne assured Kallen.

"…Why are you guys so far from home?"

"It's unsafe for us to remain at the main house for the time being."

"Oh…" Kallen muttered, not prying into the situation anymore. She fidgeted a little, uncomfortable.

"Kallen, will you stay here with us?" Marianne asked trying to ease the discomfort she sensed, "I know we can't force you to stay, but like Sayoko-chan and I have been talking about, we feel that the world you live in isn't safe for you to survive. At least not now, you're still too young. Seeing that we can be of help to someone, we would like to offer you our hospitality. Besides, we've already taken you in and it would make us distressed to have to put you back where we found you. Would you like to stay with us?"

Kallen was silent as she debated the idea with herself. The idea of having a place to stay wasn't bad, but then she'd feel weird because she was just a stranger. Not only that, what would she do here, and how would she repay them for their generosity?

"If staying here without a way to thank us makes you that worried, you can always train to be a knight," Marianne interrupted Kallen's thought with herself.

Hearing this, Kallen was slightly taken back, "A knight for you?"

Marianne nodded, "On occasions, you can also tend to Lelouch in Sayoko-chan's stead. If you do accept to become a knight of the vi Britannias, I will have you trained under Jeremiah Gottwald, my best and most loyal knight out there."

Kallen began to ponder about it again. This wasn't where she imagined she would be, but then after all, things weren't as planned. "If I do stay here, how will I find my parents?"

Marianne was the one left silent this time, "There are days off, you can use those days to find your parents. We'll figure out how in the near future and if possible, I will assist you as well."

"Really?" Kallen replied all too happily, "I'll stay then!" she answered without a second thought.

"Welcome to the family Kallen," Marianne smiled immediately, "Tomorrow I'll have Jeremiah start training you. Be ready and get a lot of rest. You'll need it."

The young girl nodded her head as the older one left the room. She would be ready for this. Ready to serve the vi Britannias that had so graciously accepted her into their home. If this was the only way to repay them for their kindness, she was willing to do it. Marianne also had mentioned that she would help Kallen find her parents, which gave her hopes. The loss of Kage was a great sorrow, but with his departure came a new light, a brighter light. Maybe things were starting to look up for her?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I would like to thank the people who took the time to review on my latest chapter. It makes me happy, as always. I see I still have rushing issues, so if anyone has any advice for me on that, please tell me! Enjoy~**

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Chapter 3

At the slightest hint of the sun's awakening, Kallen's eyes flung open as her body coursed with excitement and anxiety. Just the thought of training to be a knight enticed her being, but the inexperience made her anxious. Many thoughts about the training jogged through her mind as she sat up in the bed.

"_Would I survive the training?_

_Will it be difficult?_

_Will I be the only one training under this Knight Jeremiah Gottwald?_"

A soft knock came at her door, snapping her from her concentrated build of anxiety.

"Yes?" she meekly replied to the knock.

"It's me, Sayoko," the voice to the knock answered, "You should come down and get some breakfast before you head out to your first day of training, Kallen-sama."

There was a short silence before Kallen confirmed her answer, "Okay, I'll be down as fast as I can. Thank you, Sayoko."

"Hai! Marianne-sama and I will be waiting for you down in the dining room then," Sayoko chirped before walking away from the door and making her merry way to the assigned destination. She was happy that she played a part in giving a helping hand to someone in need. To her, it was a great accomplishment in her young life. Hopefully, she would be able to do more things like that later on in her future; it was her life's goal to help the needy after all.

After the young maid left Kallen alone, two things occurred to her. One, the use of weird suffixes after a person's name, and secondly, where exactly was the kitchen? She realized that she hadn't left the second floor of the mansion at all; had been stuck there the moment she awoke.

A smile made its way to her lips, "Well! It's not like I can't find it on my own, besides I am pretty good at exploring." With a determined encouragement to herself, Kallen pushed herself off from the bed and threw her hands up in the air, stretching her body out of its remaining slumber.

Walking out of her to be room, she now stood in the loft and taking in every detail she noted that her room was to the right of the loft, and there was a window diagonally across from her letting in the sun's dim ray, exposing the furniture that the gigantic loft housed. Opposite and diagonal of her, was another room; to whom it belonged to, she didn't know. At the corner, farther from the window and still opposite her, was another room. Opposite the window was the entrance of the corridor that led to the three rooms. Kallen made her way through the corridor, looking left and right. On either side were rooms placed here and there, as if they were randomly assigned but still made a zigzag pattern; she didn't know how many she passed already. Near the exit of the corridor, to the right from her view was the washroom and directly opposite was yet another closed door, which made her curious what the room was. Pass the exit was another gigantic loft, ornamented as nicely as the one where her room was. It was almost the same, except there was a window on either sides and to the left of the corridor was a wall decorated with portraits. Up ahead and to the left was the stairs. The opened area was protected by mini eloquent marble pillars that followed the stairs down, protecting the walker's every step.

Kallen turned the knob of the washroom and entered.

Looking at the toothbrush that was given to her the day before, she remembered that things weren't fully arranged for her permanent settlement yet, but Marianne assured Kallen that by the end of the day the place would feel more like home for the young lady. For the meantime, she was to borrow clothes from Lelouch, since his figure was closely framed with her malnutrition one.

Exiting the washroom after she finished her business, Kallen felt a hand jab at her chest, startling her. She gasped. Across from her was Lelouch, leaning coolly against the closed door, and in his hand that jabbed her chest were articles of his clothing for her to change into.

"T-thanks…" she fumbled out to the mysteriously cool headed boy, her azure orbs gazing at the clothing that he held against her.

"I was told to share with you after all," he replied back, "Regardless if I like it or not."

Her gaze morphed into a glare, "Well excuse me for getting caught trying to escape."

He smirked and sarcastically retorted, "You're very good at being sneaky. I wonder how well you'll do in being a knight."

Kallen bit her lips, trying hard to retain her anger. "I'll do just fine! So don't you come worrying about me!" she roared out at last, releasing her fiery temper. If he was going to act this way toward her, she would do the same.

A chuckle escaped Lelouch's lips and under his breath he wished her a quiet "Good luck."

Kallen slightly caught it and overcame with bewilderment, grabbed the clothing out of his hand on impulse. Her cheeks began to tint a slight pink, "Had he really wished me good luck?" she thought to herself as she rushed her way from his cool aura. "I must be imagining things…" she trailed off returning to her chamber.

* * *

"Hm…this living area is pretty empty… Wow! The double doors…they look so centered…" Kallen murmured in awe to herself as she stared to the left, walking down the stairs. "Ah! A passageway," she exclaimed immediately turning to her right after a couple of steps from the stairs. "Living room to the left, dining table is where?" She averted her attention to the right and saw a long dining table parallel to her path a few feet away. "Wow…" she awed stopping her movement towards the door directly in front of her. Surely, sitting at the dining table were Marianne and Sayoko.

"Good morning Kallen," Marianne greeted, the sun bouncing gently off her raven hair and Sayoko's charcoal strands through the many windows.

She slowly nodded, "Good morning, Miss Marianne and Sayoko."

"It's alright Kallen. You don't need to use such a title with me," Marianne chuckled at Kallen's sudden respectful manners.

"Okay then, Marianne…" Kallen said her name slowly and hesitant.

"Kallen-sama, your breakfast is ready for you," Sayoko said pointing Kallen to the direction.

"Thank you Sayoko." Kallen shyly made her way to her breakfast and sat down. Sayoko opened the trays and presented Kallen with pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacons, sausages and orange juice. The ruby haired girl's mouth started watering from the aroma that whiffed to her nose. Before long she was gobbling it down. Tears burned at her eyes, as she remembered once having a breakfast like that back at the orphanage; it had been her fifth birthday or so, she was young, that's all she could remember. "Thank you again Sayoko. It was delicious!" Kallen said returning to her shy demeanor, stomach now full of energy to use.

"It's no problem at all Kallen-sama," Sayoko replied, now in a more somber manner. The maid swiped the table of the dirty dishes and disappeared through the door that Kallen had almost entered earlier.

Marianne looked awed at the girl; it was just as Sayoko had told her, Kallen's appetite was deviant. "Kallen, are you ready for training?" Marianne asked. The ruby haired nodded and Marianne could see the determination sparkling in her eyes, the sun now stronger in the sky. "Do you have any concerns, Kallen?"

Kallen was silent for a moment, "Will I be the only one training under Knight Jeremiah Gottwald?"

"No, there are at least two more disciples under him. Are you afraid he will scrutinize every little thing you do?" Marianne asked chuckling.

The younger lady nodded her head in shy defeat, "I-I am, and I'm afraid he will be super strict and-" she cut herself off before she began a rant of all her worries.

"Don't worry Kallen. Jeremiah may be overconfident in his ways and skills but he is a kind and loyal man. He'll slowly build you up to withstand training," Marianne assured Kallen, "Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

Kallen pondered for a moment, "Uhm…why does Sayoko use '-sama' at the end of everyone's name?"

"Ah. About that, Sayoko's Japanese and to them it's like titles. Like 'miss' or 'mister'. Often you'll hear me calling her 'Sayoko-chan'. It's to show a sign of familiarity." Kallen nodded, amused by what she was learning. Marianne caught the amusement from her face and offered, "If you want, I can have you learn with Lelouch and Nunnally."

"Huh? I-it's okay, really!" Kallen declined.

"You seem amused and it really wouldn't hurt to learn something, you know," Marianne encouraged Kallen like her own child. "In fact, maybe you start learning with them."

"Okay…" Kallen submitted without a fight.

"Great!" Marianne exclaimed before pondering the idea. "You'll start with them tomorrow, but for today, you'll meet with Jeremiah and your fellow comrades."

"Okay," was all Kallen could really say.

"Are you okay with it, Kallen?" Kallen nodded her head. "Are you sure? You don't seem so happy about it."

"I-I am! I'm really grateful. I just…don't know how to thank you."

"It's okay, Kallen. I'm just glad we're able to help you," Marianne cooed the worried girl. "Loosen up a little, Kallen. We want you to feel like you're part of our family."

The ruby haired simply nodded again, her eyes casted down at her folded hands.

"Are you feeling any better about your training?"

"I am," Kallen said her gaze now set on Marianne's amethyst orbs that reflected in her children's eyes.

"I'll have Sayoko-chan take you to meet Jeremiah. Oh! I'll be out shopping for your things while you train, is there anything you would like me to purchase for you?" Kallen immediately shook her head, indicating there was nothing she desired. Marianne smiled, "Okay then. Let's hurry along and get you to Jeremiah now."

* * *

"We're here Kallen-sama," Sayoko announced stopping in front of a medium sized housing.

Kallen glanced around the surrounding area and saw that it was pretty much a horizon of grass and next to the house was a lone tree, "Thank you Sayoko."

"It's no problem," the maid said as she knocked on the door.

A few moments after the knock a blonde haired male opened the door-about the same age as Kallen, his azure eyes immediately locked on Kallen's figure, "Yoh Sayoko," he greeted with a smile, "Who's the little lady behind you?"

"I see Gino-sama has already taken notice of Kallen-sama," Sayoko stated.

"Kallen? Is she going to be joining us?" Gino questioned interested.

"Hai. Where is Jeremiah-sama?"

"He's coming," Gino answered looking behind him. "So Kallen, I'm-"

"Gino! Who's at the door?" a voice boomed from inside cutting Gino off before he could go any further with his introduction.

"It's your lover, the lovely Miss Sayoko and our new friend," Gino answered teasingly, slightly annoyed for being interrupted.

Kallen glimpsed at Sayoko's reaction and found that Sayoko was unfazed by Gino's teasing. Suddenly Gino was swapped with a taller male's figure; his hair was a dark blue and his eyes amber. Kallen could hear crashing from the inside, as Gino was tossed inside the house by the older male now in front of her view.

"Hello Miss Sayoko," Jeremiah greeted the maid. He leaned towards the door, one hand resting against the frame, "How are you today?" he asked in an effort to make conversation.

"I am well, thank you for wondering Jeremiah-sama. And yourself?" the maid answered back dutifully, a smile on her face.

"I am as well as you are," he smiled.

"Jeremia-sama, I have brought Kallen-sama here with me. She's the girl that Marianne-sama was telling you yesterday night." Sayoko seemed to introduce Kallen into the conversation seamlessly.

"Oh! That's right…" the dark blue haired knight trailed sounding a bit disappointed that the conversation didn't go as long as he wanted it. "Hello Kallen," he greeted sticking his hand out for a shake, "I will be your teacher from here on out."

Kallen stared at his hand for a bit, before taking his hand into hers for a firm handshake, "Hello Knight Jeremiah Gottwald. I am Kallen," she introduced herself confidently.

"Call me Jeremiah," he smiled.

Kallen nodded as Sayoko spoke, "I'll leave her in your care, Jeremiah-sama."

He turned his attention to her, "You're leaving already, Miss Sayoko?" She simply nodded and proceeded to head back to the main house. Jeremiah gazed at her back, a hint of longing. "Well Kallen, why don't you come inside while the rest of us get ready for the day?"

Kallen walked into the house and was directed to the living area. There she sat and waited patiently for her teacher and her to-be comrades.

Dazing off, she hadn't notice that a new presence had joined her. The new person sat silently on the sofa opposite her, staring at the ruby haired. With her eyes on the dazed girl, her hands were moving incredibly fast, sketching the girl down onto a blank sheet of paper.

Kallen blinked a couple of times, realizing that a pale pink haired girl was now with her; her ruby eyes staring intensely at her.

"Hello…" Kallen murmured.

"Hi," was all she answered.

"I'm Kallen," she introduced.

"Anya Alstreim."

"Nice to meet you…" Kallen said before going silent.

The silence didn't last long as Kallen thought it would. Jeremiah soon came down the stairs followed by Gino.

"Are you all ready?" Jeremiah asked the three children.

"Yes," they all replied simultaneously.

"First off, let's introduce ourselves to our newest comrade. I am Jeremiah Gottwald, as you already know and I will be your teacher."

Gino smiled; finally he would be able to introduce himself properly to Kallen. He swiftly made his way to her, grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I'm Gino Weinberg," he introduced winking at her.

Kallen blushed at the introduction, but felt slightly annoyed that Gino had invaded her personal space.

"Don't be such a lady's man Gino," Jeremiah interrupted with a grin across his face. "Don't worry Kallen. He's a lady's man. I see you already met Anya. She's not the talkative type," Jeremiah said pointing to Anya, who just finished drawing Kallen's picture. Anya looked up and down at her book as Jeremiah peered over her shoulders, "Not bad Anya. Your skills have improved greatly." Anya simply nodded, closing her book. "Alright team, let's go practice!"

* * *

Marianne walked into C.C.'s Shop, the door thudding softly behind her. Her figure walked closer and closer towards the back of the dim shop, gaze straightforward.

"Hello, Marianne. I see you're back again. What is it this time?" C.C. smiled, her ember eyes glowing in the dimness.

Marianne's demeanor suddenly seemed to change, "Hello C.C. It's not an important reason why I'm here."

"Oh?" C.C. asked with a raised brow, not really caring, "Why are you here then if it's not all that important?"

Marianne glanced at the bright green haired woman, "We just took in an orphaned girl named Kallen. I'm out shopping for her. Thought I'd stop by and have a short chat with you in case you were feeling a little lonely," Marianne stated the kindness no longer in her voice.

"Kallen…?" C.C. questioned now more interested and disregarding Marianne's statement of lonilness, "Where did you happen to find her?"

"Well, from what Lelouch told me, they found her in the alley crying."

"Kallen, huh…" she trailed off, thinking to herself. "Coming from a line of soothsayer isn't easy at all. Especially when you're left with a prophecy anticipated to happen."

Marianne glanced at the woman again, "All we have to do is keep him away from the throne until the time has come to pass. That's all it takes, right?"

C.C. reminded Marianne with no emotions passing her face, "It would have been easier for you to kill that Demon son of yours the moment he was born. Maybe then the prophecy would have come to pass sooner and maybe Charles wouldn't have to be so far from you."

"I am a mother. It's not as simple as I thought it would be," Marianne defensively argued.

It really was hard for her. The moment Lelouch was born, she held him in her arms and with a short knife above her first child's heart, Marianne was targeting where she would plunge the sword into it, ending his short moments of life. She stared at her son's small bloodied face; his voice not wailing like most newborns would, and just knew in her heart she couldn't do such a thing to her own flesh and blood as tears welled at her eyes.

"What was done has been done and has already altered whatever predestined events. All we can do now is making sure that they don't lead up to the foretold prophecy."

There was a silence, "I don't regret what I did and in my powers, I will make sure that it doesn't come true at all," Marianne said breaking the silence.

C.C. just smirked, "We'll see how far that determination gets you."

Marianne smiled, "I have a fiercer side. Anyway, I should hurry along on my shopping for Kallen. Take care, C.C." she finished as her demeanor changed back into her kind self.

"You should let me meet Kallen sometimes," C.C. suggested to Marianne's back, as she exited the shop of C.C.'s and continued on without a reply.

* * *

Kallen was panting and sweating, her body totally worn out from the training, as she stood in a combat pose and followed every move Jeremiah did. Gino and Anya were off sparring each other somewhere on the vast horizon of reawakening lush grass.

"Alright Kallen, this is enough for today," Jeremiah said going Kallen.

Kallen nodded and relaxed her body, "Okay teacher Jeremiah."

"I told you already, just call me Jeremiah," he smiled.

"Okay..Jeremiah…" Kallen hesitated to say.

"Good job Kallen. You're learning at a pretty fast pace. Have you fought before?" he asked, giving the younger figure an accomplished pat.

"I…street fought a little," the sweaty ruby haired answered back.

"I see. Well, for a self-taught person, you're re-teaching yourself quite well," he complimented before walking over to where the other two were at, "Gino, Anya! Let's call it a day." The two stopped as soon as they heard Jeremiah's voice and rushed over.

"How'd it go?" Gino asked with a big smile on his face.

"Okay…"

Anya was staring at Kallen again, silent still.

"Wasn't too hard was it?" Gino questioned again.

"No. It actually went a lot smoother than I imagined," Kallen blurted out before she knew it.

"C'mon kids, let's go to the back and cool off," Jeremiah said directing the children to the back of the house where a big basin awaited them.

Each of them splashed the cool water against their hot perspiring face and took several sips to hydrate them.

"Ah!" Jeremiah gasped, "Will you be joining us, Kallen? Or will you go back to the main house?"

Kallen thought about it for a moment, "I'll go back for right now."

"You should join us and maybe you and I can get to know each other," Gino smartly teased for a child as young as himself.

"No thank you. Besides, I don't know what Marianne had planned for me," Kallen smiled worriedly.

"Alright then Kallen, you should head back now, since the sun seems to be setting already. The way isn't far, but it does get quite scary for a little lady during the night, but you're a knight. I know you can handle yourself," Jeremiah advised as he shooed the other two children into the house.

Kallen nodded and looked at the path before her walking through it. The sun was still out and it wasn't quite scary yet, but it was pretty quiet even with all the guards around the place.

"I hope I don't ever have to walk through this place alone at night," Kallen murmured as she neared the fountain.

"Why? Afraid of the dark?" Lelouch's voice sounded somewhere next to her.

She looked around a little startled, "No. I'm a knight in training. Of course I'm not afraid of the dark. Besides I lived in the dark before this."

"Hah," Lelouch smirked like always, "So says the knight in training. I'm sure she's shivering inside her skin."

Kallen glared, wanting to wipe the smirk off of his face, "You're so…arrogant," she bluntly stated to him after finding the right word to describe him. It didn't seem to affect him because when Kallen looked at his face again, he still had his trademark smirk on it. "Damn that Lelouch…" Kallen thought to herself.

"I bet you didn't survive training," Lelouch pushed her buttons again.

"I did, just so you know," Kallen spat before stomping off murmuring, "Arrogant jerk."

Kallen walked through the backdoor with Lelouch trailing in behind her, gazing intensely at her back. Sayoko happened to be in the dining area when they came in.

"Welcome Kallen-sama, Lelouch-sama. My, you look mad," she pointed out to Kallen.

"I-I'm okay…" she said, trying to suppress her anger for Lelouch with a forced smile.

"Well, Marianne-sama is waiting for you up in your room," Sayoko informed Kallen, to which she nodded and made her way up there, with Lelouch still tailing her.

"Why are you following me?" Kallen growled as she kept walking.

"I'm not following you. Simply walking to my room," he stated back.

"As if-"

"Lelouch! You're back," Nunnally exclaimed running to hug her older brother.

His demeanor changed so quickly, a smile now on his face and any hint of arrogance tucked away. "I am. Where is mother?"

"Waiting in Kallen's room! How did your game go?" Nunnally replied smiling back.

"It was somewhat challenging but I won," Lelouch replied.

Kallen stared at the scene unfolding before her, almost toppling over. How could this jerk change masks so fast? Or did a side like that really exist in him? It made Kallen want to tear him to shreds as she continued her way.

"You're back, Kallen! I was waiting for your return," Marianne's warm voice came from the room.

"I am…" she replied, still shy.

"Look at what I've got you!" Marianne exclaimed showing all the things she got for Kallen. The items consisted of dresses, sleep gowns, ribbons, hand mirror, brush, and the daily essentials according to Marianne. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Kallen didn't really like the dresses so much, but nodded anyway, "Thank you Marianne."

Nunnally came into the room as Lelouch walked to the room opposite of Kallen's, "Yay! Nunnally and Kallen get to dress up in pretty clothes. Also, Kallen gets to be in the same place as brother Lelouch."

At the notice of that, Kallen looked behind her and saw that Lelouch really was in the same area. His room was opened and she could see he was walking in just about to close the door. Kallen did another take of almost toppling over.

"Are you alright, Kallen?" Marianne asked concerned.

She nodded her ruby head, as her eyes were staring intensely at the door of Lelouch's. Why was he always popping unnoticed around her? And why was he such an arrogant jerk to her but with his sister and mother he was all warm and loving. _Grr…that Lelouch_. He was driving her mad and it hadn't even been long. Maybe she thought too soon about things looking up for her? Lastly, would she even survive the arrogance of Lelouch? And that smirk…that _darn_ smirk…

* * *

**A/N: I finished. Finally! It was difficult…only being able to focus during the late hours of the night. ~ Anyway! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I feel that I was a little too draggy on this one. Well, reviews are always appreciated so I can improve! Thanks for still keeping up with me, and…tune in for the next chapter! I [ ^ .. ]/)~3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, sorry for the long wait. Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed on my latest chapter. To answer thepinkmartini's question, let's say Kallen's like nearing her pre-teens or getting there. Enjoy! Sorry for anything out of place and the long wait! And this chapter is dedicated to a very good friend of mine, orangePaperCut, who pushed me to continue this story.**

* * *

Chapter 4

A soft pounding came from Kallen's door and awoke her from her rest like it had the previous two days. She already had a guess at who could be knocking at her door; either Nunnally or Sayoko. Sliding out of bed, she groggily made her way to the door and opened it and to her surprise, it was neither of them. Standing in front of her was someone she had never seen before, which made her a little uneasy.

"H-hi," Kallen stuttered, smoothing out her ruby hair and any creases she had left from her slumber.

"Good morning! I take it you're Kallen?" a friendly voice greeted her.

"Yes, I am Kallen.." she shyly replied back to the person standing before her.

"I'm Milly Ashford!" the flat-turning-curvaceous golden blonde haired, pale sapphire eyed girl before the malnourished one introduced herself and pulled the latter into a hug.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kallen…" she trailed off, still trying to process and adjust to the friendly aura of the newly introduced person.

"Well, we should hurry. I was told to come up here to lead you to your very first lesson today!" Milly excitedly exclaimed. "It's going to be so fun! Especially since I'll be your class president~"

Kallen looked at the blonde haired clueless while being dragged about in her room.

"Here. Put this on. It's our school uniform, and hm..we'll do this with your hair, and~" the older girl ranted on and on happily, throwing tons of things into the younger ones clutches. "I think that'll be all for today! Hurry and put them on, then we'll fix your hair," Milly said, pushing Kallen to the bed.

Kallen gently bumped into the bed and dropped everything in her arms onto the mattress, "Uhm..okay. You're going to be outside, right?" Kallen asked feeling a little self-conscious of her body next to the more girly one.

"I'll be here helping you, of course," Milly answered in a heartbeat.

Kallen blushed, "I-I can dress myself!" she blurted.

"Of course~ but it'll be easier if I help you!"

With that, against the ruby haired girl's will, Milly started clawing at her nightgown and dressing her up into the school attire; a white short sleeved collar shirt, beige vest sweater, and uniform skirt. She twirled Kallen around in many directions and places working on different aspects of her with each twirls.

"There~ Now let's hurry down to the table and learn about table etiquettes with Nunnally and Anya."

"W-what about Lelouch and Gino?" Kallen asked dizzy and dragged once again.

"Them? Ah! They'll be meeting up with us shortly at the table, so don't worry about them."

Kallen slowly nodded her head as the two girls made an abrupt stop by the table. There at the table was Nunnally and Anya sitting, waiting for the two's presence.

"Good morning, Kallen and Milly," Nunnally cheerfully greeted.

"Good morning Nunnally and Anya," Milly replied back with the same enthusiasm.

Anya, being the quiet one she was, simply nodded her head in acknowledgement, before her hands flew back to her sketchbook to draw Kallen's latest look.

"You look so beautiful today," Nunnally complimented Kallen.

"T-thanks.." the fiery girl blushed, having never been complimented before.

"Isn't she? Her hair is gorgeous and silky!" Milly pointed out, taking one of her two low braids into her hands. "Doesn't she look cute with this hair style?"

Nunnally nodded and smiled.

"Okay! Now, when the boys get here we're going to learn table manners, but since they're not here yet, let's go have some morning chatter," the class president announced with a cheery seriousness.

* * *

"Lelouch," a boy's voice called out to the boy, whose amethyst gaze was idly staring off.

"Hm?" he muttered back, gaze unmoving.

"What're you dazing about? Gazing off like that," the former boy inquired.

"Nothing.." Lelouch muttered back.

"Same old secretive Lelouch," he laughed, scratching at his head full of blue strands.

The boy's amethyst eyes pierced sapphire ones, "Secretive? I'm simply gazing off."

"Alright, alright," the blue haired boy said, backing off a little with nervous laughter.

"Yoh, guys!" Gino said, popping into their conversation seamlessly. "What're you guys doing here? Shouldn't you guys be over in the dining room for breakfast?"

"Hey Gino! We were just about to head over there, Lelouch and I."

"Well, could you two hurry it up? I'm starving and can't wait to see Kallen!" Gino exclaimed with glee.

"Kallen? Who is this Kallen?" the unnamed boy asked with wonder.

"Oh? You haven't heard about her, Rivalz?" Gino answered with a smirk, "She is the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. So feisty but at the same time, so timid!"

Rivalz pumped his fist in the air, "She can never beat Milly!" A short pause, "Let's hurry up and go see her!" he exclaimed and started running off with Gino to the main house.

"Is that her?" Rivalz silently asked as they got closer to the table.

"Yeah, the one with the red hair," Gino replied awe-struck at her look. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"She can never beat Milly!" Rivalz whispered back as they got closer to the group of girls.

Gino elbowed Rivalz, "Hello girls. Kallen," he said while sliding his way to her, "You…you take my breath away this morning."

Kallen blushed and grew slightly annoyed at his invasion. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"Lelouch!" Nunnally exclaimed after smiling gleefully at the scene unfolding before her, "Good morning, brother."

Lelouch walked over to her and greeted her warmly, as well as Milly and seated himself down at the head of the table with Nunnally and Milly at either side of him and then Gino and Rivalz following after, finishing with Anya and Kallen.

"Breakfast will be served shortly," Sayoko announced, head sticking out from behind the closed door of the kitchen.

The kids all nodded their head and continued to make conversation with each other, Kallen and Anya both the silent less talkative ones.

"Okay! Breakfast is coming out," Sayoko called, coming out of the kitchen with platter of foods and a few people following behind her with platters as well.

"Alright, everyone! We will now be learning how to eat with etiquette," Milly said, causing Kallen to become alarmed.

"What?" Kallen thought to herself, mind racing a mile per second. "Everyone is going to stare at me…"

Milly announced the instructions and gave the signal for everyone to demonstrate them. Kallen, utterly confused and self-conscious, watched everyone at the table and imitated their every move. Feeling super silly to be eating in such a way with so many utensils, she wondered why they just didn't eat with one fork or spoon or their hands, but instead used so many forks and spoons all at the same time.

Glancing up, Kallen could see Lelouch looking every so often at her, and she could see his lips form that smirk of his, that trademark smirk of his. He was smirking at her difficulty trying to eat with etiquette like them, and it was irritating her that he was silently laughing at her; it wasn't her fault she lacked the ambidextrousness required and had to constantly switch between using the knife and fork in her more dominant hand.

Irritated with Lelouch, Kallen stuffed her mouth with breakfast and disregarded any lessons for proper dinning. The others at the table awed at her and tried to slow her down, but decided to leave her alone when she wouldn't slow down on shoveling food into her mouth and concluded that she must have been extremely hungry that morning from the knight training that she had the day before.

After breakfast was done and over with, Milly lead the group to the library and had them sit down at the table, where their instructor for the day was supposed to meet with them.

"Where is the instructor, Milly?" Nunnally asked, eager for the day's lessons.

"I'm not sure. They should have been here by now," replied the blonde haired, as she made her way to the front of the table. "Well! Since the instructor isn't here, I guess I will be taking charge of today's lesson!"

Nunnally cheered, "Yay! It's going to be fun~"

Kallen silently looked at the group, and then rested her eyes on Lelouch, throwing a deadly gaze his way. "Why is he always-"

"Good morning class. Sorry I'm late, had a little business to take care of, you see…" said a voice from the library's entrance. The figure immediately walked towards the group, her high heels clopping with the ground. Everyone's eyes were turned towards her, anticipating her presence.

Before their eyes was a woman with amber eyes and lime green hair pulled back into a bun. Her lips were splayed in a smile full of mischief.

"Alright class. Today, we'll be learning about history," announced C.C. as her eyes scanned the room full of children, trying to lock onto Kallen. "If Marianne won't bring her to me, I will just find her here," C.C. thought to herself.

As if Marianne knew something was up, she walked into the room, and saw that her gut feelings were true. C.C. was here, uninvited. "Kids! Today's schedule will be different," she called out.

They all turned to her, confused. "Hello, Marianne," Milly greeted. "What shall be the schedule today?" she asked, smiling and trying to ease her classmates' confusion by taking control of the situation.

"Milly, would you please lead everyone out to go play outside. The teacher shall be here later to teach you guys. She's running a little late today," Marianne explained.

Milly nodded and smiled, "C'mon everyone. You all heard Marianne." Everyone nodded and followed her out the library into the garden.

Lelouch, who was more observant, had a slight feel that something was wrong, but continued to walk out with the rest of the group. He looked over to Kallen, who was looking more confused than before, walking besides Anya and Nunnally. "Something isn't right.." he thought to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Kallen!" Sayoko's voice called.

"Kallen, where are you?" Nunnally asked, echoing after Sayoko's voice.

"Kallen!" Gino followed suit after Nunnally's call.

Lelouch was following behind them, his expression blank and guarded. He felt a little guilty, but he didn't let it bother him too much. Anya, the quiet person she was, scanned around while following the group and didn't say much.

Gino turned to Lelouch, a scowl on his face, "Look what you did, oh mighty Lelouch," he remarked, his voice was dripping with venom and sarcasm. "Because of you, Kallen has run away!" Gino's fists balled up; he was pretty mad for a guy who was always carefree and smiling.

Lelouch shot him that apathetic look, and shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it's not my fault her feelings are so 'fragile'," he responded in a dry sarcastic manner. "I was just kidding with her when I told her that it'd be better without her around here." His eyes were intensely glaring into blue ones.

"Brother Lelouch! You're always so nice to me and mama, but why were you so mean to Kallen that you even told her that?" Nunnally butted in, sensing the tense atmosphere between the blond haired and black haired boy.

Lelouch broke the intense glare with Gino and looked at Nunnally, a warm smile on his lips. He patted her on the head and walked on, leaving the two to follow his trail.

"Ah? Does brother Lelouch know where Kallen is..?" Nunnally asked running behind his heels.

"Hm..if it's her, she's probably trying to escape. So, maybe the outskirts of the villa?" Lelouch thought to himself, his hand resting at his chin and trying to figure out where Kallen would run off to.

"Brother Lelouch! Do you have an idea..?" Nunnally asked him again, curious.

"We could try looking at the outskirts of the villa," he simply said and started walking that way, with everyone catching up to him and some walking on ahead.

- B - R - E - A - K -

Kallen furiously scratched at her head, remembering Lelouch's words as it echoed in her ears, "…Better off without you…". In her heart, she was angry at him for picking a fight with her, but at the same time, his words stabbed into her heart and stung every time it repeated in her mind, ringing like an endless ripple created by a droplet of water. "Not wanted, huh…" she muttered, walking aimlessly in the woods that surrounded the villa, hiding it and acting as a fortress. "Fine!" she stated, suddenly overcome with determination to get out of the place. "If that devilish jerk doesn't want me here, I'll leave like he wishes so!"

Walking and relying on her street smarts, Kallen navigated her way through the woods, pushing away brushes that blocked her way. Her aimless walking soon caused her bare feet to become stained and covered in dirt. In her haste to leave Lelouch's presence, she had run out of the loft that connected Lelouch and her room in the same area without a second thought about shoes. All Kallen wanted during that moment was to be rid of Lelouch and his signature smirk. How long was it to taunt her?

Deep in thought, Kallen's senses started to lose track of where she had already been and where she had not yet tread. The fortress of trees started looking more and more similar whichever way she turned. It was a frightening sight in her eyes. It was as if the trees were starting to loom over her, their branches turning into slim sharp fingers while the sun began to sink lower and lower beneath the horizon. The rays of light that were able to penetrate through the dense trees were now becoming dimmer by the minute.

Suddenly, she felt this sudden fear of what lurked in the dark. All this time, she had never been afraid because there was Kage, her personal guardian, but now she was alone. Kallen's heart pumped rapidly against her chest, the sound drowning out everything. Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump. Her terrified heart was beating so loud that it was the only sound she could hear.

"It's okay, Kallen..." she murmured to herself, her hand moving over to her chest and pressing against it. "There's nothing in the dark," she continued, "Knights aren't supposed to be scared of anything."

Crack.

The sound of a twig breaking underneath her weight made her jump inside and outside her skin. After calming down, she mumbled under her breath, "Damn that Lelouch.. If not for him, I'd not be here.." . Shrugging off her irritation at the devilish jerk, and pushing her fear as far back as she could, Kallen continued her blind scouting through the fortress of trees.

As the raven color of night painted the sky, Kallen had a harder time seeing things and she visited the dirt floor more than she would have liked to. Now, it was just not her feet that were covered in dirt, but her entire body and clothing, too, became stained.

- B - R - E - A - K -

Marianne sat inside the main house, waiting for any report on the missing girl, and giving out orders all the meanwhile.

"Have you checked the fortress surrounding the villa, Jeremiah?" Marianne asked through the rotary dial phone.

"No, Your Highness Marianne. We haven't checked, but last I saw, I think Prince Lelouch and the others were headed that way."

"Please check that way. It could be possible that she is trying to leave the villa," Marianne replied with a sigh.

"Roger, Your Highness," Jeremiah answered, his voice firm.

"What could have caused Kallen to wish to run away?" Marianne thought to herself, her temple pressed to her hand, resting there. "But then again, maybe it's better they don't find her?"

She sighed, words of C.C.'s rushing into her mind, playing back on what C.C. told her earlier that day.

"Dear Marianne, if you are wise enough, I suggest you get rid of that girl. Better yet, let me have her as a secret slave." C.C. chuckled.

Marianne had shot C.C. a glare, "If you're just going to use her as your slave, then I'd rather not hand her over."

"Marianne," C.C. smiled coyly, "Listen to me now. If you don't get rid of her, your dearest desire could possibly be...obliterated before your eyes. You wouldn't want that now, would you?"

"As much as I despise having that happen, I cannot let Kallen into your clutches nor could I possibly abandon her when I have already given her my word. As a former knight, I hold truth in my words. I will help her find her parents."

C.C. smirked, "You better pray you find them soon, or else, you will face even more despairing consequences than you do now. For altering the prophecy, for standing up against fate, you will pay the dire consequences you have accumulated."

Marianne looked at C.C., a cold hard stare on her face, "I will stand up against fate and prophecy, if that is the only means I have of protecting my children. My precious children..."

C.C. chuckled again and turned her back to Marianne, making her way out of the library, "We'll see if you're one of the lucky few who does withstand against the cycle of fate, and...the cruel prophecies I have to see due to your rebellious ways."

- B - R - E - A - K -

Kallen leaned against a tree, sweaty and short of breath, tired from constantly stumbling and aimlessly wondering around. "How do I get out of here..?" she grumbled, her scrawny body sore and heavy. "Anyway, it's already dark. Maybe I should rest here for a bit..." she said, slowly dozing off. Her vision dimmed with each blink she took, and soon, they were closed and resting. As sleep crawled over her senses and numbed them, her body began to feel light, as if she were floating in deep space.

What seemed like a fleeting moment to Kallen, was actually half an hour's worth of rest. Not enough to make up for the tremendous energy lost, but enough for her to continue her adventure out of the Devilish Lelouch's grasp, and far away from his radius. Pushing herself from the tree, she found it a little difficult to pull away from. It was as if the tree was holding her there, stalling her a little longer so that they could find her and take her back, to what at first seemed like new hope, but turned out to be torment because of Lelouch's very presence; at least to her.

She grunted and groaned as she pulled away from the tree sap that had stuck and crystallized onto her back and hair. To no avail, her hair was still glued to the barks and cracks of the tree, detaining her.

Kallen's sapphire eyes began to gleam and tears started forming at the corner of her eyes. "What if no one ever finds me, and I'm stuck here forever?" she thought, worried.

"Kallen!" a voice called, beaming hope and despair into her all at the same time.

"Kallen, are you here?" another voice called out.

She could immediately pinpoint the voices as Sayoko and Nunnally's, calling out to her and trying to locate her. They were pretty close to her location, and at any moment, they would be able to spot her.

"Isn't that her?" she heard Lelouch say, not far from her.

Kallen's eyes widened, as her soul escaped her lips and floated into the air. The only person she did not want seeing her like this was clearly seeing her in a situation she did not want to be seen in.

Everyone's eyes turned toward her, and locked onto her figure. They all rushed to her, circling her, and assessed her situation. A moment of awkward silence, and settling relief, then a sudden wave of small laughter broke out among the circle as they realized what the situation at hand was.

Kallen, who was so full of mixed emotions, started to tear up more and finally, when her tears had collected enough at the corner of her eyes, they started to roll down her cheeks; her voice a muffled and suppressed sob.

"So this is where you've been!" Gino exclaimed, kneeling beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and assured her that they were here to save and free her from her captor; a tree dripping with sap.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is chapter six after such a long wait! I hope you all are doing fantabulous~ Hm…thanks for the reviews, it was very much appreciated. ^ .. ^**

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Chapter 6

Amethyst eyes met glaring sapphire eyes, and then quickly averted back to the plate in front of it. A sense of guilt washed over his body as he focused nonchalantly on the plate while the rest had been busy commenting on Kallen's new look. In order to free Kallen from the hardened sap, they had to cut a tremendous length of her hair off, and that had upset her more so than Lelouch's words, yet she still blamed him for how everything turned out.

She would not have been so upset about the new hair cut except for the fact that she had been saving her hair for her mother after seeing how Marianne and Nunnally interacted lovingly with each other when it came to their long luscious locks. In Kallen's daydreams as of late, after she had found her mother, they would spend time in front of the mirror, combing her long hair and braiding it, adorning it in cute ribbons just like how Marianne and Nunnally sometimes did. And, in return, she'd do that same thing for her mother. Together they would fashion the same braid and outfit, looking like mother and daughter. But now, it was impossible, since it was cut to above her shoulders, and there was not much styling she could do with that length.

"Kallen, you shouldn't be too upset," Marianne started, "You know, your short hair fits your fiery personality better."

Kallen unintentionally threw out a crooked smile to Marianne and muttered "Thank you, Marianne.."

"You can always grow it out, Kallen!" Nunnally chirped in optimistically, "But, I think it does really suit you better this way. Although you looked cute with long hair, you look even better with short hair!"

"Thanks," she muttered again, slowly shoving food down her throat and trying hard to hide her disappointment. "Thank you for breakfast, I'm done. If you'll excuse me, I'll go out and train now," she said, getting out of her seat. Kallen clumsily bowed like a knight and walked out of the diner area, her face was blank and not filled with her usual uneasiness and uncertainty.

Lelouch's eyes unconsciously drifted over to her as she bowed and watched as her figure made its way out of the house. His amethyst orbs following her back as far as it could see until her image disappeared completely from his view, and he continued to stare in the direction she had gone, the guilt in him growing a little more, although it did not show on his face. Contrary to his indifferent facial expression, his mind was pacing quite rapidly, contemplating how he should run into the fiery red head, or if he should even cross path with her for the day.

"Brother Lelouch, are you ready to leave for today's lessons?"

Lelouch snapped from his thoughts, and smiled warmly to his beloved little sister. Gently nodding his head to her, he excused himself from the table and walked off to meet up with Rivalz and Milly, Nunnally tailing behind him and grasping for his swinging hand.

"What's bothering you, brother Lelouch?" Nunnally questioned, trying to figure out her brother.

"It's nothing," he replied, smiling again.

"How can it be nothing? You're most certainly preoccupied with something."

He shook his head, opened the door to the library, and walked in a straight line to the table where Milly and Rivalz were sitting at. Rivalz, to Lelouch, seemed as if he was trying to muster up the courage to tell Milly something very important, hence his fidgeting and clasped hands on his lap, and Milly, looked as if she was preoccupied with something else, completely oblivious of Rivalz.

"Good morning, Milly and Rivalz!" Nunnally called out from behind Lelouch.

Rivalz looked up startled at the two siblings then to Milly, who by now had snapped from her preoccupation and was smiling at them.

"Morning, Nunnally. You're cute as ever~" she commented, and got up from her seat walking to Nunnally, hugging and nuzzling her. Stopping, she threw a glance at Lelouch before her mischievous smile appeared. "Lelouch~" Milly sang out, walking right next to him and looping her arm with his.

"W-wait Milly…" Rivalz barely squeaked out, reaching to her and falling off of his chair. Embarrassment washed over him as he dusted himself off and immediately sprung to his feet. Dragging himself to where Milly stood with Lelouch and Nunnally, he made sure she had not caught sight of his gloomy defeat.

Milly turned and looked at Rivalz, ushering him to hurry up to the group, "Walk faster, Rivalz! I've got plans for us to do today~"

Nunnally, who was as empathetic as usual, smiled at Rivalz, ran out of Milly's grasp and over to Rivalz. Taking hold of his hand, she dragged him over, "Hurry! Milly has plans for us~" she squeaked, excited and energetic.

Once the four were standing together, Milly pulled them all in and whispered, "How about we go study outside…and cheer Kallen on while we're at that?" she announced happily.

Lelouch nearly dropped, "No thanks," he immediately replied, pulling away. "I think I'm good inside the library."

"Come on, brother Lelouch!" Nunnally protested.

Milly chuckled, "No backing out, Lelouch!" she stated and started pulling him out of the library, dragging his reluctant body behind her.

Nunnally enthusiastically dragged Rivalz out behind the other two, "You too, Rivalz!"

- B - R – E – A- K –

"Calm down, little lady," Gino cried out to Kallen, whom was punching the punching pad that Gino held for her with all her might. "You don't need to murder such a handsome fellow as me!"

Kallen snapped out of her thoughts, stopped and looked at him. "Sorry…" she muttered after realizing how powerful all the punches she was throwing at him were.

"It's okay," he smiled sheepishly back, scratching the back of his head. "Wanna go take a break?" he suggested.

"Sure," she replied and started walking to the tree that would someday bear oranges.

Sitting against the trunk, she sighed as a soft breeze blew by, ruffling her short ruby locks. Her head felt lighter with the shortened length. "Ahh.." she softly let out. "Feels nice," she said, her eyes closed and her head slightly tilted upward to the clear baby blue sky.

"Yeah.." Gino replied, looking at her, his cheeks turning a slight pink.

"I guess having short hair isn't that bad…" she said after her short silence. "After all, it feels lighter, and it should be more convenient than before."

"It does look good on you, you know," Gino complimented, his heart beating a little fast as those words slipped out of his mouth.

"Thanks," she said as she opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. Looking at Gino, who was already looking at her, the two began to gaze at each other, silence surrounding them both.

"You're not that bad," she finally stated, breaking the silence between the two, "You're a good guy after all."

"T-thanks," Gino stuttered back, looking straight ahead and blushing a little more.

Kallen threw her arms around his shoulders, "I think we could grow to be best friends~" she said, a little enthusiastically and finally starting to become comfortable with the things that were happening around her.

"Y-yeah…" Gino said, looking down to hide his pink cheeks. "We can grow to be…best friends. That'd be nice. A lot better than enemies," he softly chuckled.

"Best friends?" Kallen said, extending her free hand to him.

He turned to look at her and took her soft feminine hand in his, "Friends," he said, completing the shake by gently squeezing her hand and holding it.

She smiled and threw her arms around him, hugging him. "Thanks, Gino," she said, feeling a sense of security and warmness overcoming her body. It felt nice, like a candle glowing softly in the dark night.

"Ahem, are we interrupting something?" Milly said, giving that cheeky smile.

"O-of course not!" Kallen and Gino blurted, with Kallen pulling her arms away from Gino.

"I-it's not like we're doing things that..you know! Things that lovers do!" Gino exclaimed, stuttering and flushed, which caused Kallen to flush as well when she heard what he had said.

"We're just..becoming friends! Best friends…" Kallen stated, looking at the four.

From what the red-head could see; Nunnally seemed as if she had given a small pout to the sight that was before her, Rivalz was clueless as always, Milly as teasing as ever and Lelouch…Lelouch was still the indifferent person he was. Looking at him, he seemed as if he was lost in the book in his hand; as if he was so engrossed in it that whatever was going on outside did not matter to him.

"Is that so?" Milly smiled a teasing smile at the two.

"Of course! What else could we be doing?" Kallen said, stuttering now, her uneasy personality coming back into play.

"I don't know~…maybe something that couples do!" Milly replied back, trying to push the two suspects' buttons.

At this, Lelouch closed the book in his hand and looked at Kallen, then Gino and then back at Kallen before walking off without a single word being said. Everyone looked at him confused as he walked off and away from the commotion.

"W-well, I guess I'll go back to practicing," Gino quickly blurted and escaped before Milly could tease the two anymore.

"Yeah, me too!" Kallen said, following behind Gino's trail, sprinting as far away from the trio as she could.

- B – R – E – A – K –

"What's wrong with Lelouch anyway..?" Kallen asked herself as she made her way back to the main house. "Looking at me like that… And then, and then walking off!" Kallen finished, feeling annoyed after recalling the way Lelouch had looked at her. It was as if his eyes were burning into her.

"Nothing really," came his voice, low and calm. "I simply left to give you two some…privacy."

"Ahhh!" Kallen yelped in surprise. "W-what are you doing here, Lelouch?" she answered, her pitch a little high. "You startled me!" she said, looking around for him.

He stepped out from near the bushes and into her line of sight, "Just sitting and reading my book, of course."

"Ahh.." she mumbled, continuing to walk on. "That must be one interesting book.."

"W-wait..!" Lelouch called out to her back, stuttering a little. "I-I have something to say!" he continued when she did not show any sign of stopping.

"What is it?" Kallen replied, turning to face him once she slowed her steps into a stop.

He fidgeted with the book in his hand for a moment before walking closer to her and gazing straight into her sapphire eyes, the setting sun causing them to look darker. "Look, about yesterday…" he paused.

"What about yesterday…?" she asked, a sense of awkwardness starting to settle between her and him.

"I…" he swallowed, feeling odd at having not done this enough, "I'm-I'm sorry…" he muttered and stuttered, finding it hard to say those words. Lelouch could feel his cheeks start to burn, and hoped that Kallen could not see such an expression on his face.

"It's okay.." she began after a moment's silence. "I guess it's not so bad after all. Besides look," she ran her finger through her hair, "It's easier to comb through and more convenient since it doesn't get in my face as often as my long hair used to." Kallen smiled at Lelouch, looking straight into his eyes, "And, like they all have told me, I can always grow it out."

He blinked at her, and blushed even more as she smiled at him. His heart thumped a little heavily against his chest, causing him to become somewhat uncomfortable. "A-anyway, I didn't really mean it, those things that I said to you.."

Kallen's smile faded a little as she went silent. "T-that's okay too…" she mumbled, averting her gaze from his now.

"I'm truly sorry.." looking down at his feet, he shuffled them a bit, "It has been nice having you here..so, d-don't go anywhere."

As Kallen heard those words escape from Lelouch's mouth, she could not help but feel something deep inside her click; like her sense of belonging was finally completed. A big smile spread itself across her lips, and she blinked a few times, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. "Thanks," Kallen replied, her lips quivering a bit and her voice a little shaky, but her eyes warmly on Lelouch's.

Lelouch looked right back, and gave Kallen a warm smile, the one that she's seen him only give to those close to him. Upon seeing this, Kallen began to blush, realizing just how charming Lelouch was in that moment, as he genuinely smiled at her, and only her.

"Let's go home," he said in a soothing voice that sounded like music to her ears.

She simply nodded, caught up in the moment, and walked side by side with Lelouch all the way home, her cheeks flushing as well as his.

"By the way, your hair looks nice..short like this."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello all! I know it's been a long time, and I'm sorry! BUT~ I'm publishing this as a Christmas special, so… Merry Christmas all! I hope you're all having or had a blast. :P Thank you all for following, reading and reviewing my work. I really appreciate all of it. ^ .. ^ Anyway, enjoy your Christmas present~! xD**

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Chapter 7

A couple of months had passed and the season changed to naked trees jutting everywhere. Like the change of the season that comfortably swept over the landscape, Kallen too became more comfortable with her situation. Aside from that, she became more learned in academics and her practice to become a knight. She was one step closer to being a knight, like Gino and Anya were. Her skills in fighting were exceptional, and she had quickly caught on, advancing quickly from the bottom to the upper levels. Things that seemed foreign to her at first became like a routine or even familiar, as if she were meant to be living this certain lifestyle.

"Ah..I have grown accustomed to some of these things…" Kallen thought to herself.

"This is a great way to spend class!" Milly sighed, lying onto the lush soft white snow as she stretched and disrupted Kallen's thoughts. "There's nice sunshine, a cold breeze, and the smell of nature mixed with snow! We're going to have so much fun learning out here!"

"Why are we out here?" Nunnally asked while trying to piece the puzzle together.

"Just to enjoy the sunshine, I suppose. Come here, Rivalz," Milly called with her hand, moving it in a come-hither motion. When he had crawled to her, she sat up and pulled him close, whispering into his ear. He nodded and went over to Nunnally, looping his arm around her arm and started to drag her off.

"W-where are-"

"We forgot to pack some hot chocolate for our little class. Why don't you come with me?" Rivalz said in a way that she could not refuse. So, nodding her head, Rivalz dragged her off toward the main house.

"Well! I suppose I should go and join them too. Give them a helping hand, since I'm sure Rivalz will fail badly at helping Nunnally prep." Milly turned her back towards Lelouch and Kallen and slyly smiled to herself.

Lelouch and Kallen stood there, completely aware that something was up Milly's sleeves.

"So, what do you think Milly has planned today?" Kallen asked Lelouch.

Without looking at her, and keeping his gaze at Milly's back, "I'm not too sure, but let's hope it's not too surprising." He was silent for a moment before turning his head to look over at Kallen, "What day is it today?"

Looking baffled at him, "The 24th of December, why..?"

"Nothing," he simply replied and started off toward the main house as well.

"W-wait! What is it really, Lelouch?!" Kallen called out behind him, following behind his steps, her feet crunching into the snow.

"Christmas is tomorrow, and I forgot all about it. I'm a horrible brother. I didn't even buy anything for Nunnally."

"Well, you can quickly make something for her!" Kallen started, but stopped when Lelouch gave her a death glare. "I mean, I'm sure…she will like it. How about a cake…or something? We can have Sayoko help us."

"A cake? I don't think that is Christmas worthy! Something else."

"H-how about a dress..? Or a hair pin..? Maybe we can have Sayoko go out with us… She might know what it is that Nunnally likes."

"Good idea. While we're at that, can you go ask Jeremiah to come out with us?"

"Alright." With that, Kallen fell behind and walked the opposite way towards the knights' house.

- B – R- E – A – K – - B – R – E – A – K - - B – R – E – A – K - - B – R – E – A – K –

"Do you think she would like this?" Kallen asked, pointing to a hairpin in the glass case protecting dozens of valuable jewelry.

Lelouch looked at the direction of her finger, and saw the hairpin. It had three flowers with five pink petals and three little diamonds embedded in the middle of each cherry blossom. He smiled a little, "I'll take it." With that, he bought the hairpin, and walked out of the shop relieved that he finally had her present secure in his hands. Lelouch knew that Nunnally would surely love it, and that made him very happy.

Once the four were outside, Lelouch looked at Jeremiah with a hard gaze, his amethyst eyes piercing into Jeremiah's amber eyes, "Jeremiah, come here, please."

Jeremiah quickly walked over to where Lelouch was and bent down as Lelouch motioned for him to come closer. "What is it, Lelouch?"

"May you accompany Kallen while I go shop some more?"

"Yes, Lelouch. Your wish is my command."

"Thank you."

Jeremiah walked back to where the two ladies were, Sayoko making her way toward Lelouch as Jeremiah approached them. "See you later, Sayoko…" he muttered, almost not wishing to part from her since he already rarely saw her back at the villa.

She nodded her head and continued walking to Lelouch. As Kallen looked, all she could see were their backs walking in the opposite direction. "H-hey! They're leaving without us!"

The adult grabbed the girl by the collar, as she attempted to catch up to them, "Actually, they're not. I asked Lelouch if I could go shopping around with you…since you seem to know Sayoko more than I do. And, I also didn't want Sayoko to know," Jeremiah lied, knowing that there was a reason why he would receive this order in secrecy.

The ruby haired girl looked up at Jeremiah and smiled a sly smile that Milly would, "I see, let's get going then!" She dragged him by the hand in the opposite direction and they walked into several stores and out again with nothing in their hands.

"Jeremiah, are you really trying to look for something for her?" Kallen asked frustrated.

"W-well, yes, but I just don't know if she'll like it…" he trailed off, not believing that his cover-up lie became a reality.

"How about…we go check out another clothing store?"

"Okay."

So, the pair walked off into another store and browsed around. Each splitting up and looking around, picking up items that Sayoko might perhaps fancy. When they had met up, Jeremiah held a few items and Kallen a few items as well. The two went over them and crossed out the things that Sayoko probably would dislike. At the end of the run-through, each was left with one item each in their hands.

"Okay, it's either yours or mine," Kallen announced, taking in a deep, anxious breath.

A sweat rolled down Jeremiah's forehead, "You ready? On three, okay?" Kallen nodded her head. "One, two, three!"

The two pulled out the last item they were holding behind their backs, their trump card. In Kallen's hands was a tan scarf and in Jeremiah's a black tie. The two looked at each other's item and at their own.

"Okay, Jeremiah. Choose."

Jeremiah swallowed hard, "I-I don't know… W-what do you think she would like?"

Kallen contemplated it for a moment while eyeing the two items, "How about you just buy her both?"

Jeremiah blinked a few times, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" He chuckled sheepishly, "Thanks, Kallen."

Kallen handed over the scarf to Jeremiah, "You're welcome."

After Jeremiah had purchased Sayoko's gifts, the two walked out and proceeded to make their way back to their meet up spot, which was the shop where the group had split.

"W-wait…" Kallen muttered in a soft voice.

"What is it?"

"Can we go check out the book store before we head back..?"

"Sure."

She smiled a little as they changed course and walked toward the bookstore. Once there, Kallen browsed all the books row by row, and sighed as she was unsure what he would like to read about. While browsing an isle by the end of the store, Kallen spotted a book with an intricate hard cover. It looked magical and was titled "Mononoke no Sakuradite."

"Ah! I'm sure he'll like this…" she thought to herself, even though she was extremely unsure of his tastes. "C'mon, Jeremiah. I found it."

The girl smiled and happily bought the book with the money she had been saving. As they made their way back to meet the other two, the sun setting behind the buildings, Kallen held all the bags to make Jeremiah's presents less suspicious to Sayoko while covering her present as well.

- B – R- E – A – K – - B – R – E – A – K - - B – R – E – A – K - - B – R – E – A – K –

"Whew! That was a long day, wasn't it?" Kallen asked flopping onto the couch in the knight's quarters. Jeremiah couldn't help but to agree.

"Say, do you know how to wrap gifts?"

"Well! I can try…"

So, the two took their gifts, and proceeded to wrap them.

"Finally!" Kallen exclaimed, holding the wrapped gifts and sweat covering her forehead, as if she had just had preformed a very intense surgery.

"Thanks, Kallen. Really, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"No problem, Jeremiah. You're my master after all. I owe you more than you owe me."

"No, thanks…really."

She smiled warmly and looked around, "Now that I think about it, where are Gino and Anya?"

"Ah, right! I forgot, but to celebrate this holiday, Marianne is holding a ball tonight until tomorrow morning. People from the kingdom and close royals will be attending. They're probably over there helping them prepare."

"W-what?! I wasn't aware of this…" Kallen said shock and surprise written all over her face. "I-I've never been to one and I-I don't even know how it works…"

"Don't worry. Just head back to the main house. I'm sure someone there will help and inform you."

"Thanks! I'll be heading back now," Kallen said, rushing back to the main house.

Once there, she stopped in front of the door, panting and trying to catch her breath before heading in. Hunched over and hands resting on her knees, she realized something.

"I-I forgot my present!"

Just as she was about to run back to the knight's quarters, the door opened and there stood Milly, a big smile on her face.

"Welcome back! You're late."


	8. Chapter 7 point 5

**A/N: Hello! Here is the second part of the Christmas special! I hoped you all enjoyed the first part. :] Once again, thank you for those who took the time to review! It makes me truly happy to know you took some time to leave me some feedback or comment of any kind. I'm so sorry I'm only updating now! Forgive me. Anyway~, let the story commence! I'm sorry if it's so slowly paced! = ^ =**

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Chapter 7.5

"W-wait, Milly!" Kallen protested as she was being dragged upstairs, "I-I still have things to do!"

"That can wait! Right now, you need to bathe and change into better clothes. The party is about to start soon!"

Refusing to hear any more protest from Kallen, Milly dragged her to the bathing room, and stripped her bare, pushing her into the water. "Now, hurry up and bathe so we can dress you up and have you join us on time. When you're done, I'll be waiting in your room."

Seeing that she had no other choice, since she was already stuck in the tub and bare to the skin, Kallen bathed and got out, towel wrapped tightly around her body. "Now, to my room.." she sighed, worried that her hope of Jeremiah bringing her present along with him could possibly die.

Once she walked there and opened the door, she could see Milly in her room, only in her undergarments. "W-wah!" She fell back astounded at how unembarrassed and comfortable the girl was being around other girls in such a state. "Milly, I'm here."

"Ah! Good, I was just choosing out dresses for myself to wear."

"Milly, how come you're getting ready over here?" Kallen asked while shutting the door behind her.

"Well, I thought it'd be more fun this way. So, I went back home earlier and grabbed as much as I could then brought them here."

"Ah, I see. Well, now that I think about it…I don't have any dresses for this occasion. And, I'm also a knight, so I don't know if I'll be able to attend the party. I might have to keep watch around the premises."

"Don't worry. I'm sure Marianne will have you, Jeremiah, Gino and Anya around in the house. Besides, there are plenty of good knights out there that can protect them. If it's Jeremiah that is leading them, then almost nothing can go wrong. He's the best of the best." Milly smiled after stating the last part.

Kallen nodded and proceeded to grab her undergarments in secrecy, embarrassed about what she wore underneath and showing her bare body, unlike the girl in front of her.

"Ah! I've found the perfect dress to wear!" It was a baby blue spaghetti strapped dress that flowed and didn't hug too tightly to the body. "This will surely look good on me. And with this shawl too!"

"Wow, she's so feminine and mature," Kallen thought to herself while looking at the dress and picturing just how womanly Milly would look in the dress. "That…that would look very good on you," Kallen commented, her cheeks flushing somewhat as she was unused to giving compliments.

"Why, thank you!" Milly twirled with the dress held close to her chest. "I can't wait to astonish people with this dress of mine," she said with a bright smile on her face. "Hm.." she rummaged through her pile of dresses some more. "No, this won't do, nor that."

As Milly busied herself with rummaging, Kallen slipped on her undergarments and thought that maybe she would wear something that a knight would wear. Perhaps it would be more fitting for the event. "This dress shall do!" Milly's voice broke into Kallen's thoughts. In her hands, she had pulled a beautiful dress from out of her pile of dresses.

Its color was as red as a ruby, the shoulders were short but puffed, the neckline squared, the waistline started from beneath the bust and the bottom of the dress flowed down to the feet overlapping layer upon layer. Kallen was awed by the beauty of the dress, but she silently stared at it.

"Here. For you, Kallen! Put it on."

"M-me? In that thing? I surely don't think I could pull it off."

"You'll surely stun everyone, Kallen."

She looked at Milly silently then took the dress and slipped it on with ease. Milly walked to her and helped her with the zipper.

"There. It fits you just fine," Milly said with a smile.

"T-thanks," Kallen replied, slowly lifting her gaze to look at herself in the mirror. Her reflection shocked her. She looked so different and feminine, like she had been referring to Milly. It sure was a different look than the one she always sported.

"Now for your hair…" Milly swiftly pulled back some hair from either side of her face and placed a holly hairclip in the middle of Kallen's head, securing it there. "There. You're all ready to go. Ah! Perhaps a little bit of lipstick and blush?"

"S-sure… Maybe some lipstick, please."

Milly nodded and applied some on her lips then sat her down while she finished preparing herself too.

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The strawberry hair colored girl sighed, "I'll never be able to get that gift in my hands at this point…" she thought to herself while being dragged downstairs by Milly and Nunnally, who, upon seeing her, couldn't stop looking and smiling at her.

"You're so pretty, Kallen!" Nunnally had told her when they happened to bump into each other while making their way down.

"Thanks," she had shyly replied while silently making her way down.

"Well, the guests will arrive soon, Kallen! I'm so excited," Milly squealed, her arm looped with Kallen's. "I wonder what kind of dresses we'll see."

"I hope they're all pretty too," Nunnally chirped in.

"Hey, if you two don't mind, I'm going to go and meet up with the others and see what the plan for tonight is, okay?"

"Sure, we'll be here," the two simultaneously replied, keeping their eyes out for the guests.

Making her way over to meet up with Gino, Anya and Jeremiah, Kallen prayed and hoped with all her might that perhaps her master had brought her present with him. When she finally spotted the three, who were standing around Marianne, she felt a little relieved, but her anxiety was still quite high.

"Hello there, Kallen," Marianne called upon spotting her. "My, you are dazzling!"

At that comment, Gino turned around and froze, his eyes locked onto the girl's figure. Slowly, his cheeks began to pink as his eyes could not tear themselves away from her. "Y-you- Wow…" was all he could say after what seemed like a moment of forever. Then, unconsciously, his eyes laid their view on her bust and he blushed more. They definitely had grown bigger than when they first met each other.

Noticing this, Kallen blushed and self-consciously but subtly covered her bust, turning pink due to anger and embarrassment.

"Gino, stop staring," Jeremiah whispered, elbowing him.

"S-sorry!" he said after snapping from Kallen's hypnotic spell.

Anya, having the habit of recording things, quickly sketched Kallen in her book and tucked it somewhere behind her. She gave Kallen a rare smile that shocked Kallen before turning to Marianne.

"Come, join us! We're discussing tonight's security plan," Marianne called out to Kallen.

The girl nodded and walked quickly to them, the sound of her black flats pit-patting on the marble ground. "So, what's the security plan tonight?"

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The knight and his three underlings mingled in the crowd of guests while keeping an eye out for potential threats. Milly and Nunnally had dragged Kallen the moment they saw her, and held on tight to her, gluing her to them.

"You're not going anywhere," Milly had said, clinging onto her arms.

"I've got a job to do."

"Well, you can guard me then!" Nunnally interjected Kallen before she could say anything else.

"F-fine!"

So, the blonde and dirty blonde haired girls dragged the red haired girl around the room, curtsying to others and chattering with the guests and amongst themselves.

"Where is brother Lelouch anyway?"

"Now, that you mention it, I've not seen him anywhere. Where is he?" Milly wondered, starting to plot a plan to find him in her mind.

"Well, if you two don't mind, I'd like to meet up with Jeremiah for a bit…" Kallen said, excusing herself. She noticed that the two were busy wondering about Lelouch and slipped away like a ninja assassin in the dead of the night.

"Jeremiah?" she called to him when she spotted him in the crowd of guests.

"Yes?"

"Ah! I was wondering…if you had brought my present with you?"

"Hm…" he pondered. "I-I…" he looked around, "might have forgotten…"

Kallen sighed and knew that her hopes would be crushed. "Wait, it's not like I can't go back and grab it…" she said to herself in a moment of brilliance. "Why didn't I think of that?" A small silence. "B-but what if Lelouch comes down those stairs and they announce something important?" A moment of debating. "Okay, I'm going. Jeremiah, I'll be heading back to the knight's quarter to grab it. I'll be back soon."

Jeremiah nodded, "Just hurry back, okay?"

Kallen smiled and ran out the main house toward the knight's quarters, her dress streaking red behind her. Once there, she quickly grabbed the present and held it tight to her chest. "I'm so glad I found it."

"Oh? What do we have here?" a voice called out from the darkness.

"W-who's there?"

The voice chuckled. "Why, I'm the loyal servant of C.C."

"C.C.?" Kallen thought to herself.

"Now, now. Mao, don't scare the girl. Come here, girl," the female voice commanded. Her eyes now showed in the dark; an amber glow. "I won't hurt you. Come with me now and you'll be safe."

"Who are you? How do I know I can even trust you?"

C.C. smiled as Mao answered defensively, "My lady can be trusted."

"It's okay, Mao. Your name's Kallen, right?"

"How do you know?"

"Just a hunch. Listen to me. Come with me and I can lead you to your parents."

Kallen hesitated, "My…parents? Who are they? Where are they?!"

"Well, if you come with me, you'll know."

Kallen was tempted, but knew she had to refuse because she did not know who these people were, "N-no!" she shouted and ran out the door in a mad dash.

Mao started to run after her until C.C. stopped him halfway, "Let her go." He snarled, but gave up chase.

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"Lelouch," Marianne called, "Come here and sit down."

Lelouch did as was told, but had the most dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What is it, mother?"

"Well, I've told you earlier this evening, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"Well, come and greet them."

Lelouch's gaze hardened, "Greetings, Sir and Lady Stadtfeld. Greetings, Sir Naoto and Lady Shirley Stadtfeld."

"Greetings, Prince Lelouch. You're quite the gentleman now," Sir Stadtfeld complimented.

Lelouch nodded, "Thank you, sir."

"Lelouch, you should at least kiss the hand of your fiancée."

Lelouch grimaced on the inside and kept a straight face on the outside while he did so. He took Shirley's right hand and kissed it through her gloves. She blushed, but Lelouch's eyes were closed, wishing to get it over quickly.

"Let's all catch up, shall we?" Marianne suggested, and the other two adults nodded their head in agreement.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go for a stroll," Naoto announced, getting up promptly after.

"W-wait for me, brother!" Shirley called, getting a little anxious and teary-eyed at the thought of her brother leaving her. "I want to go with you."

"How about all the young ones go for a stroll, while we adults converse? Accompany her, Lelouch."

He softly sighed and obeyed, standing from his chair and walking over to Shirley, aiding her out of hers like a gentleman. "Shall we?" he subtly muttered.

She nodded and blushed again. "He's so handsome," she thought to herself as she made her way to stand beside Naoto.

The three walked in silence, a little chatter between the two siblings, due to the presence of Lelouch.

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Cerulean eyes widened when she saw his lips meeting some unknown girl's hand in the gazebo. She gasped a little, but immediately recovered. "I-I should go!" she said, shaking her head. But, her body would not move and her legs felt as if they were glued to the floor. "W-who is she? Agh! I shouldn't even think about that."

Just as she was about to get moving, the three had already gotten up from their chairs and started making their way toward her direction. "Oh no! Not this way," she muttered, looking around for a hiding spot. Figuring that hiding behind trees or bushes would be easier she decided to dash that way, but as luck would have it, her footing slipped and she thudded onto the snow.

"Oof…" she groaned, her head a little woozy from the impact. "Ugh.." she moaned, pushing herself onto her elbow. The book she held to her chest had flown somewhere as she fell, causing panic in her. "Wh-where'd it go?!" she anxiously muttered.

Getting onto her knees and hands, she started crawling and feeling the snow for her present. Busy, she did not notice that the trio had already closed the gap between them.

"Kallen?" Lelouch's voice came out.

"Huh?" she asked looking up, her hair a little soaked now and her dress as well.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-I came back for something at the knight's quarter and fell down on my way back to the main house. I can't find it."

"Are you okay, miss?" Naoto asked.

"What are you missing?" Shirley chimed in, her voice sweet and innocent.

"Ah?" Kallen looked up, and met Naoto's eyes which had been peering down at her. "Wah!" she yelped in surprise, jumping back a little. "W-who are they, Lelouch?!" the fiery red head asked, jumping clumsily to her feet.

Naoto, seeing her struggle, helped her to her feet and smiled warmly at her. At the touch of his hands, Kallen felt a shock of warmth, which confused her.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Lelouch said, bending down to pick up Kallen's now slightly wet present. "To-," he stopped when he read the name on the tag. His cheeks began to flush, not due to the cold, but to the name of the receiver of the gift. It had been addressed to him, from Kallen. Clearing his throat, he held the gift at his side and eyed Kallen's hand in Naoto's.

A small grunt left Lelouch's lips as he turned the opposite way and walked toward the main house. "W-wait, Prince Lelouch!" Shirley called out, hesitatingly reaching out for him, wishing to hold him back. He paid no heed and continued walking.

"T-thank you, sir…?"

"Naoto Stadtfeld."

"Thank you, sir Stadtfeld."

"Call me Naoto, please."

"Okay, Naoto…" Kallen mumbled his name, flushing a little. "I-I better catch up to Lelouch! Thank you again!" Kallen said, dusting the snow from her and running after Lelouch.

Naoto bent down and picked up the gleaming object in the snow. It was the holly hairclip in Kallen's hair.

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"Ahh…what a disastrous day," Kallen moaned, flopping onto her bed, still in her red dress which had dried up, but was still a little wet. "I wonder if Lelouch disliked my present or if he didn't want to receive a gift from me, because he'd have to buy me one too?" She tossed on her bed a little before a knock came at her door.

"Yes? Come in," she answered the knock.

The door opened and soft footsteps could be heard before the door closed again.

"A book, huh?" the voice commented.

"L-Lelouch?!" Kallen exclaimed, rising to her feet within seconds. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing really." He held the book up, "Mononoke no Sakuradite. Looks interesting."

"So…he does like it!" Kallen thought happily. "I wasn't sure what you liked reading…"

"Well, I'm not into fairytales, but I can give this a read." A silence. "Thanks." Another silence. "You look…b-beauty in that dress." His cheeks flushed. "I-I meant beautiful!"

"Thank you," her cheeks tinted pink, "I hope you like my present.."

"I already thanked you!"

"I know! I'm sorry. I was just anxious… You're welcome though."

Lelouch frowned a little then pulled out a small box, "For you."

Kallen took the box and smiled warmly. Slowly, her fingers unwrapped the wrapping and opened the box. In there was a necklace, the shape of a crescent moon and a star in the empty space. Gasping, she stutteringly thanked him.

"Let me put it on for you," he offered.

"Okay."

After putting the necklace on her, Kallen turned around and smiled at Lelouch. "This necklace is really beautiful."

Lelouch was silent for a moment, "Promise me something?"

"Huh? W-what?"

"One, you'll do something in the future for me."

"A-ah..? Like, what?"

"It's a secret."

"Fine. What's the next thing?"

"Lastly, promise me that you'll be my knight, and mine alone."

Kallen blushed.

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The next day, Kallen spotted the black tie around Sayoko's neck. She had been smiling softly to herself.


End file.
